Childish
by XJackiefrostX
Summary: Castiel needs the boys help now that he is falling. Will the Winchesters help Cas in his time of need, especially now that he looks just like a kid.Will Castiel finally learn the meaning of being human. *Child Castiel*
1. Chapter 1

**So I know I should be updating my other story **_saving a life _**but I just got this idea and I wouldn't leave me alone so here it is and tell me what you think.**

* * *

Childish

Dean had been glaring at the cracked ceiling of the motel for the past hour grumbling about stupid angles and birdbrain dicks. Sam would have been more amused if Dean's sour attitude hadn't been going on for the past few days. Frankly Sam was a little more than a bit annoyed at his brother and partially pissed off at an angel.

"Dude, just call him if you're so pissed off at him leaving!" Sam said exasperated at his brother's childishness.

"Cas can do whatever the hell he wants to do Sammy I'm not his goddamn owner." Dean huffed. "Besides, if he wants to be an asshole dickhead then that is up to him."

"You're not still mad about him leaving us stranded at that warehouse are you? Because it was just a ghost Dean, we've handled those before and we didn't even get seriously injured."

"Seriously injured!" Dean shouted as he jumped off the bed in an agitated manner. "You had a concussion and a dislocated shoulder after old Miss. Garland threw you down the stairs!"

"Again we've had worse; this isn't the first time we've gotten hurt on the job, besides it wasn't life-threatening." Sam amended.

"No but it could have been Sam." Dean slowly walked up to look his brother in the eyes. "Cas bailed on us when we could have used his help. He decided that looking for a lead in his crazy quest to find god was more important than us."

Sam was surprised at Dean's answer. Dean was more upset over the fact that Cas did not pick them over his father. "Dean I'm su-."

"No you're not Sam, that's the thing, if I can't trust Cas to have my back on something as simple as this then I'm not sure we should trust him at all."

Sam was left speechless at how Dean felt about Cas now. "Dean I know you're kind of pissed off at Cas right now, so am I but you got to get over this because believe it or not we need Cas's help to stop this apocalypse."

Dean huffed and glared holes into the musty motel room carpet. "Fine but that doesn't mean I got to like it."

Seeing that this was as good of a response as he was going to get, Sam decided it wasn't worth it to start up another argument.

"Why don't we just get some rest and think about this some other time okay." Sam offered pleasingly.

"Yeah let's get some sleep." Dean replied quietly.

* * *

The next morning brought an even grumpier Dean and a more annoyed Sam Winchester. Sitting in the impala for the past 6 hours had not helped improve either of their moods. Don't fear the reaper was blaring from the radio and it was beginning to irk Sam even more.

"Dude can we put something else on, you've listened to this song over a million times already." Sam groaned.

"Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole." Dean replied with a smirk gracing his face.

It was a nice turn of events; Sam supposed that if he had to suffer through more of Dean's music to improve his mood than he'll keep his mouth shut for the time-being.

* * *

Arriving at Bobby's house unannounced at 3 am was probably not a good idea since the second the door was opened they were splashed with holy water while held at gun point by Bobby's shotgun.

"Bobby calm down it's just us." Dean explained.

"Ya bunch of idjits. What ya couldn't pick up the damn phone and call." Bobby growled.

"Look we're sorry we didn't send a heads up, we were a little busy Bobby." Sam said carefully.

"Where's that angel of yours, could use his help deciphering some Enochian symbols." Bobby asked.

Dean's expression immediately soured and his good mood deteriorated. "He's not my angel. It's not like I have him on a damn leash!" Dean yelled before making his way into the house.

"Well what crawled up his ass and died?" Bobby asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Long story Bobby, but Dean's not exactly happy with Cas right now."

"Understatement of the freaking year." Bobby grumbled. "Now get your ass inside and make sure your idjit brother doesn't break anything."

Sam thought he and Dean got let off easy considering they had probably interrupted Bobby while he was doing some research or sleeping, he really hoped it was latter.

Going straight to Bobby's guest room Sam hoped he'd find his brother there. His wish was granted as he gazed upon the slumped figure of his brother settled on an old worn-out armchair.

"Hey, Bobby wants to make sure you're not going to destroy any of his things." Sam said humor lacing his every word. It kind of worked seeing as Dean wore a slight smirk as he scoffed good naturedly.

"He's got nothing to worry about, I won't touch his crap." Dean replied.

Hoping that Dean was getting over whatever slump he had been in Sam decided to not ruin the mood by mentioning Castiel. Dean's cellphone seemed to come alive at that very moment startling both of them for a moment before dean started digging through his pockets to retrieve it.

"Yeah." Dean said as he finally answered his phone. "Who the hell is this?" Dean questioned as he furrowed his brow. Sam couldn't hear the other side of the conversation but he had a good guess as to who it was since Dean's jaw hardened and his fist started clenching uncontrollably. Sam knew his guess was right when Dean abruptly hung up without another word.

There was a few moment of silence before Dean's phone started ringing again. Having become agitated again Dean just threw his cellphone onto the bed furthest away from him and slumping back into the armchair.

Sam crossed the room with a few strides of his long legs and answered the phone for Dean. Cas could be calling for something important after all.

"Hey Cas." Sam was a little surprised that instead of Cas's usual gruff voice a noticeably more younger voice answered.

"Sam I am in need of assistance." The voice said after a moment of hesitation.

Well that settled the matter of who was on the other end because Sam only knew one person who would speak like that.

"Cas is that you?" Sam asked disbelief clouding his words.

"I am Castiel and I require your assistance. "The monotone voice answered.

"Uum… yeah Cas what do you need?" Sam asked questioningly.

"I am in need of transportation." Cas answered in the same creepy monotone voice.

"Do you need me to come get you?" Sam asked not quite sure if this is what the angel was asking.

"Yes." Cas responded after a few seconds of silence. "I need you to come get me." Cas said awkwardly repeating Sam's words.

"Why can't you just teleport here." Sam asked curiously.

There was what could have been a sigh before Cas responded.

"Both you and Dean are hidden from all angels including me, and I am also what you would say out of mojo." Cas admitted with what sounded like guilt.

"Oh no worries Cas, just tell me where you are and we'll come get you." Sam said earnestly. "I'll see how fast we can get to you."

"I am in mercy hospital in South Dakota somewhere near where your friend Bobby lives. I was on my way there before … this happened." Cas answered.

Sam let out a huff of breath he didn't even know he was holding in after he found out that he wouldn't have to travel halfway across the country just to reach Cas."You're about 20 minutes away from where we are now Cas we're coming to get you right now." Sam explained.

"Thank you."

Sam was slightly taken aback by the angel's gratitude not even expecting to be acknowledged. "Sure buddy just hang tight we're on our way."

"What is it that I am supposed to be holding on to?" Cas questioned curiosity lacing his words.

"It's a figure of- you know what never mind just stay there Cas."

"It is not as if I have any other choice." Cas admitted, and if Sam wasn't so sure he was an angel and had no knowledge of human customs, he would have accused Cas of using sarcasm.

"Gotta go Cas I'll see you in a bit."

"Good bye Sam Winchester."

Tossing the phone back at his scowling owners lap he started pulling his coat on.

"Dean we have to go get Cas he's in a hospital near here. Whatever pissing contest you've got going on is going to have to be put on hold because Cas is in a hospital and he needs our help."

Dean looked as though he was mulling it over before he finally decided on standing up and pulling on his own jacket. "Fine we'll go get him, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."

Sighing in relief at how compliant Dean was being all Sam did was nod before making his way outside to the impala closely followed by Dean.

The ride to the hospital didn't even take 10 minutes because of how fast Dean was driving and for once Sam didn't try to tell Dean off because of his speeding.

Approaching the nurses' station was a little more difficult seeing as they had no idea how Cas was even registered into the hospital.

An old nurse with a stern face looked up from her computer as they approached.

"How can I help you gentlemen?" she said in a polite no nonsense tone.

Seeing as Dean was not about to say anything Sam stepped forward giving her what he hoped was a polite smile.

"Uuuh… yeah our friend called us from here and told us he needed help getting home. "Sam said hesitantly hoping she wouldn't ask too many questions as to who they were. It seems he didn't have to worry because she just turned back to the computer impatiently waiting for him to say something.

"Name." she asked sternly.

"Oh, his name is Castiel, but we're not sure if that's who he's been registered as." Sam finished lamely.

It seems he didn't have to be more specific because the nurse's eyes seemed to light up in recognition.

"You are friends with Castiel?" she asked skeptically.

"Yeah he's a buddy of ours. "Sam said hoping he was convincing enough.

Her sharp eyes turned towards Dean as she seemed to be assessing him.

"Yeah, were friends with him." Dean said with his most charmingly innocent smile.

The nurse seemed to be contemplating it before she finally sighed and looked both of them over.

"If you are friends of his please make sure he gets home okay, poor thing came in bleeding all over the place yelling at us to let him go. We had to sedate him just so he would stop hurting himself with how hard he was thrashing. Don't say anything that could upset him because I will have you thrown out." She said protectively.

"We won't try to agitate him miss, we just want to take him home." Sam said effectively hiding the surprise he felt of knowing about Cas's injuries.

She looked over at Dean before he grumbled in agreement.

"He's in room 203 through those doors." She said while pointing at a pair of blue double doors. "I'll ready the paperwork you'll need to take him home."

"Thank you." Sam said graciously.

She nodded and turned back to her computer and let them be.

Quickly striding over through the double doors Dean and Sam were immediately hit with the smell of disinfectant. Taking a look around they noticed the bright colorful caricatures on the walls and the occasional child shuffling through the hallways. They were in the pediatric ward. Deciding not to dwell on that small fact both dean and Sam made the trek across the linoleum floor towards the rooms in the triple digits.

"189…195...198." Sam murmured to himself as they passed each door number.

Finally they arrived at 203 where they heard quite a commotion behind the door.

"I am an angel of the lord I do not require your assistance." Came the frantic voice of a youth swiftly followed by a loud bang.

"Honey all I'm trying to do is give you a little something to help you sleep better at night okay. If you don't let me treat you I'm going to need to bring in some more nurses so we could restrain and sedate you again. I don't want to have to do it but if you keep hurting yourself I'll have no choice." A nurse said in a forcefully calm voice.

Having heard enough of what was going on they opened the door to find a young nurse trying to coax a kid in a hospital gown out of a corner where he had pushed his knees into his chest. The nurse had heard them come in and immediately turned to stare at them.

"You shouldn't be here right now, it could be dangerous." She said in a way that was obviously a dismissal." Who are you anyway?"

"We're family." Dean said surprising himself more than Sam.

Hearing that Sam and Dean were within the same vicinity Cas slowly raised his head showing off his sparkling blue eyes that seemed wet with moisture.

"Dean?" Cas questioned in a voice that was a lot higher than his normal register and not nearly as composed.

Striding over to the kid both Sam and Dean made sure to give the nurse a look that said that the only one being dismissed was her. Kneeling down towards Cas's position Dean reached out and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"What happened to you man." Dean said as he gazed upon the now child angel.

"I … I-I." for the first time since dean had met the angel this was the first time he showed so much raw emotion as tears trailed down his face. "I-I… uuumm…- I think I am… falling." He said as he bowed his head as if in shame.

Dean would tell anyone to his dying day that the only reason he grabbed Cas and held him tight was because he was a crying child. In reality it was because he couldn't bring himself to see his seemingly always composed and emotionless friend break down.

"I don't understand what's happening to me… why this vessel is crying?" Cas hiccupped.

Sam's eyes widened at the scene of his brother holding an angel close to his chest while he murmured soothing things into his ear. Only moments before Dean was pissed off at Cas and now he was coddling him. There was something about watching an angel like Castiel fall and become so utterly… human that just resonated deep in his heart.

Breaking out of his minor stupor Sam turned his gaze towards the shaking angel's face. The 5 O'clock shadow he always dawned was gone replaced with baby smooth cheeks, stained with a couple of scrapes and bruises. His hair seemed to have grown a few inches making his usual bed head look even wilder. The only thing that hadn't changed was his eyes. His vessel might now be stuck looking like a 12 year old but those blue orbs gave everything away. The wisdom in those eyes was still there, as was the horrors they had seen. The eyes are the window to the soul and that could not have been truer in Cas's case.

"Hey if Castiel really has fallen, then why is he stuck in a child's body?" Sam observed.

The silence that followed after asking the question seemed to stretch forever making Sam almost regret asking.

"I was the last angel before our father stopped creating us." Cas said simply.

Dean looked up at Sam with confusion swirling in his eyes. He could see Sam mouthing, I don't know, while Cas remained silent once again.

"Care to elaborate Cas." Dean said impatience coloring his words.

Untangling himself from Deans arms Cas pushed his knees back up into his chest and lay his head on the wall. "I am essentially the youngest angel in heaven Dean. Since I am… currently out of commission, I could no longer take control of Jimmy Novak's body, but since I cannot be sent back to heaven I was placed in the closest form I could take in accordance to my age."Cas replied almost emotionlessly.

Dean and Sam were obviously perplexed and turned to look at each other as though hoping the other had understood. Sam seemed to catch on faster than Dean as he slowly approached Cas and mimicked Dean's position on the floor.

"Cas you're telling us that you are the same age as a human child in your angel form?" Sam asked questioningly.

"That is exactly what I am saying." Cas said with a tone that obviously seemed to infer that Sam had asked a stupid question.

Dean had been silent throughout Sam and Cas's exchange of words. Anger was coursing through his veins as he stood up unintentionally towering over Cas's hunched figure.

"So you mean to tell me all this time you've been lying to us!" Dean yelled. "Did you just forget to mention that you were a child Cas!"

"I did not deem it of import." Cas murmured quietly as his tear tracked face gazed at his knees.

"No you never tell us anything, I thought you were thousands of years old!"

"I am, thousands of years old! Thousands of _human_ years old!" Cas yelled as he stood glaring up at Dean. "I never lied to any of you, you just assumed that I was older based on the appearance of Jimmy Novak." Cas shouted as he stepped back and leaned against the wall. "I did not think that you would take me seriously if I told you of my age." Cas said as he visibly calmed down.

"Cas, I'm sorry man, I wasn't really mad at you I was just mad at the fact that a child has been fighting in this war against the apocalypse." Dean said placatingly.

Cas bristled in anger as he looked up at Dean." My being a child did not make me any less of a valuable asset. Just because I am a child does not mean I was not willing to give my life for your cause, which I have already done." Cas argued.

Not wanting another argument to break out Sam immediately stood up. "Look we'll try to figure everything out once we get back to Bobby's, but right now we have to focus on getting out of here without the nurses getting even more suspicious if they haven't already heard all the yelling you two were doing." Sam reprimanded, trying to take control of the situation.

Castiel looked visibly cowed at Sam's reprimand while Dean looked miffed at being told what to do, especially since his brother was right. Quickly looking Cas over Sam noticed the white bandages across Cas's chest where his gown had opened during his shouting match with Dean.

"Cas on a scale of one to ten how badly are you hurt." Sam said.

"I do not understand what you are asking. Is it another human custom I am not aware of?" Cas asked furrowing his brow and tilting his head to the side.

The motion was just so Castiel like that Sam didn't have the heart to be impatient with him." It's just a way of measuring how hurt you are with ten being how it hurt when Raphael killed you and one being a small scrape." Sam said as he looked over a few more of Castiel's injuries, predominantly the black eye he was sporting and the way the way he seemed to be favoring his left leg and leaning heavily against the wall.

"…Two?" Cas hesitantly answered.

Sam looked at him in a way that clearly said he didn't believe him, but didn't call him on it." Okay, do you have any clothes that you can change into so we can take you to Bobby's?" Sam asked.

Cas seemed to realize at that moment that he wasn't wearing anything other than a thin hospital gown that only reached a little farther than his knees. Cas's cheeks grew a faint dust of pink as he tightened the gown closer to his body, effectively blocking the bandages on his chest from view.

"My clothing have been… destroyed by those you call healers." Cas said after thinking about the right way to phrase it.

"Uuum okay, I'm going to make a quick stop at Wal-Mart to get him some clothes while you sign him out Dean." Sam said as he headed towards the door, before hesitating and turning hallway around. "Just don't kill each other okay."

Dean huffed at Sam's words while Cas just looked confused.

"I would not hurt either of you." Cas said monotonously as he once again furrowed his brow.

"Yeah… just don't yell at each other okay. I'll be back in an hour." Sam said caught off guard by Cas's response.

* * *

If spending time with Castiel before was weird before, now that Dean knew he was a child it was just plain awkward. Dean found himself floundering with something to say to fill the awkward tension in the room.

"So…?" Dean said as Cas turned his gaze towards him. "You don't have any angel mojo left in you at all." Dean asked immediately cringing at his phrasing.

"I can still feel a portion of my grace… I am just not able to access my full potential." Cas said as he looked away from Dean's eyes.

"So no more automatic transportation or most of your powers." Dean stated. "What can you still do?' Dean asked once again after rephrasing the question.

"If you are worried that I would stop fighting against Lucifer, then you are mistaken." Cas said with an expression of steel that just didn't sit right with Dean since it was coming from a child.

Quickly backtracking Dean held his hands up into the universal sign for meaning no harm. "Whoa Cas, I wasn't questioning whether you would keep fighting or not. I was just wondering how much protection you still had left. I don't want you to get hurt Cas" Dean finally said, almost flinching at how sappy he sounded.

"Oh…." Cas murmured, surprised at Dean's answer. "Flying is not completely out of the question since I can still feel my wings; my vessel is just too… _weak_ to actually try." Cas admitted with some hesitancy.

"Is that it or-."

"I can still sense a few things… as well as heal to a much smaller degree than normal." Cas said interrupting the rest of Dean's sentence. Cas's eyes were drooping and he was beginning to sway on the spot.

"Okay buddy, just lay back down while I try to check you out of here." Dean said as he led the yawning angel back to his hospital bed. Carefully making sure Cas had gotten into bed without agitating his wounds any further. "Just sleep while I figure everything out."

"I do not require sleep." Cas slurred with fatigue. His eyes betraying him as he tried to keep them open.

Dean watched as Cas's eyes slowly closed and his breathing evened out. He looked so innocent sleeping that dean couldn't help but press a kiss to his temple. Immediately making sure nobody had been around to see him, before slowly making his way out of the room towards the front desk. He was really hoping filling out the paperwork would be easy. Since when was anything easy for the Winchesters.

* * *

Going into a the kids department at Wal-Mart without a kid was probably one of the worst moments of Sam's life, right below when Dean went to hell. Sucking up his pride Sam made his way into the chaos that was the boys section. Kids were running and screaming between aisles of clothing (despite it being almost four in the morning), and there was the occasional sound of crying babies and frantic mothers trying to control their kids.

Letting out a huff of breath Sam began looking for some pants that might fit Cas. Coming to the full realization that he had no idea what size Cas was he decided to grab four pairs of pants remembering how small Cas looked, as well as a belt in case they ended up a bit big on him. Quickly putting them in his cart he added three pairs of shorts before moving on to the shirts. Sam had no idea what Cas would like so he decided on getting him three plain t-shirts in various colors and two plaid long-sleeved oxford shirts. A red hoodie with a picture of fire breathing dragon and a green one with a wise looking owl on the front also made it in the cart. Some plaid blue pajama pants also made it into the cart.

Deciding that he should just get it over with, Sam ventured into the underwear aisle. Deciding that he wasn't going to be mean enough to buy Cas some cartoony underwear just to embarrass him (the way Dean would have), Sam ended up just tossing in some plain black boxer briefs and some socks. He decided that getting Cas a pair of Black flip-flops would be a safer bet than trying to guess his shoe size. Besides he could always come back with Cas later.

Making sure that he had everything Cas was going to need, Sam began making his way out of the store. He came to a complete stop as he passed the toys aisles. He settled on just getting Cas a few things like a sketchbook, some crayons, a puzzle, art pencils, 3 board games, a deck of cards, and a fluffy black stuffed cat. Okay maybe he was spoiling the kid a little, but come on this was the least Cas deserved after having already died for them.

The cashier gave him a weird look as she scanned all of items. Sam gave her a sheepish smile as she bagged his things. Handing over a credit card with the name Tyler Brooks to cover the cost (he felt a little bad after looking at the receipt).

Tucking his purchases in the backseat of the impala Sam made his way back to the hospital really hoping Cas and Dean hadn't made things worse.

* * *

Dean didn't know how many times he had filled out the same useless information. He'd lost count after the 5th time. Paying for Cas's medical expenses was hard enough since he was down to his last credit card and now he was getting increasingly frustrated with this damn paperwork.

Wiping his eyes in frustration he spent the next ten minutes staring at a wall. Slumping down further in his seat Dean decided that the headache he was starting to get would be worth it once he and Sam got Cas out of here.

Finally finishing the last page of the release forms Dean made his way to the nurses' station.

"Uuumm… yeah I signed these things, can I take the kid home now." Dean said awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

The nurse from before was back as she looked over the paperwork." Everything looks fine. I'll get to prescribe you some painkillers that you should give him twice a day." She said as she passed the paperwork to a much younger lady on the phone.

"Yeah I'll do that." Dean said as he walked away towards Castiel's room.

Pulling up an uncomfortable looking chair, Dean sat at Cas's bedside as he slept. Cas's face seemed to be scrunched up in pain and Dean had half a mind to wake him up before deciding that the kid should get some rest. He settled for taking his hand and stroking his fingers soothingly across his palms. Cas seemed to relax a little as his hand unconsciously tightened around his.

That's how the found them as he entered the room.

Turning at the sound of shoes on the tile floor Dean met the gaze of a middle aged man with auburn hair streaked with grey. Hesitantly letting go of Cas's hand, Dean stood from the uncomfortable chair and walked towards the doctor.

"Hey doc I was told you have a prescription to give me." Dean said with a charismatic smile.

Looking him up and down the doctor replied "I don't believe we have met Mr…"

"Henson- Dean Henson." Dean interrupted, using the name that had been on the credit card.

"Yes Mr. Henson I would like to know what relation you have to my patient." asked with a furrowed brow.

Huffing in impatience Dean pulled out one of his many fake ID's. "I'm Dean Henson and that's my baby bro over there." Dean said as cocked his head in Cas's direction.

Visibly relaxing the handed him the Cas's prescription. "I'm sorry for doubting you Mr. Henson I was just making sure you weren't some stranger intending on kidnapping one of my patients." said with a small smile.

"Of course I understand." Dean replied, relieved that things had gone more smoothly than planned.

"As of right now Castiel is completely discharged from the hospital. Someone will be sent to wheel him out. I'm sorry Mr. Henson, it is hospital policy." He said as Dean looked like he was going to protest.

"Of course Dr. Westmon." Dean said placatingly as he grinded his teeth.

"Just page the nurse when you're ready and Castiel will be wheeled out and ready to go." Dr. Westmon said taking his leave.

Pulling out his cellphone as the doctor left Dean quickly dialed Sam's number.

After two rings Sam picked up." Hey I'm on my way I'll be there in two minutes." Sam said over the sound of cars honking.

"Hurry up Sammy, they're already sending up a wheelchair and I need you to bring Cas his clothes." Dean practically growled.

"Dude calm down I'll be there soon okay." Sam huffed.

"See you then." Dean said before hanging up.

* * *

Sam walked in three minutes later carrying a bag that contained a pair of pajama pants, some underwear, a blue t-shirt and the black flip-flops. Looking up apologetically at Dean before gesturing towards Cas's bed.

Turning back towards Cas's sleeping form Dean looked at the dark bags under his eyes and regretted what he was about to do. Taking hold of Cas's thin shoulder Dean gently shook him trying to get him to wake up. Bleary blue eyes stared up at him as he reached out to shake Cas again.

"Hey Cas we're gonna have to leave in a sec, I need you to wake up for me so you can change and then we'll head to Bobby's." Dean told Cas.

Cas seemed to be trying to fight against sleep as he struggled to do as Dean told him. Sluggishly kicking off the hospital sheets he started to slowly stand, with some help from Dean.

"Do you want me to help him get changed?" Sam offered hesitantly.

"Sure, I have to page the nurses that were ready to leave any way." Dean said as he tried to suppress another headache that was forming.

Sam crossed the room and took Cas's small hand into his own and guided him towards the small bathroom in the corner of the room.

* * *

The second the door closed Sam turned to face Cas's swaying form." Hey Cas you need to get changed." He said repeating Dean's words from earlier. Not wanting to invade the angel's privacy more than he already had, Sam turned around while he changed into his clothes.

A small yelp followed by a thud made Sam quickly turn around. Lying on the floor clutching his abdomen with nothing but a pair of boxers and pajama pants halfway up his thighs, Cas was a pitiful sight to behold. Quickly helping Cas up while murmuring soothing words of comfort, he proceeded to help the angel finish dressing without disturbing any more of his injuries.

Looking up to see Cas's face Sam was surprised to see a faint blush covering his cheeks.

"Thank you." The angel mumbled not quite meeting his gaze.

"No problem that's what friends are for right?" Sam said casually.

Cas finally met his gaze and tilted his head in confusion." I wouldn't know." He admitted bluntly.

Sam felt his heart break at Cas's blunt answer. Swallowing down all the comforting words he wished to say. "Well, I'm your friend, and this is what friends do for each other." Sam said as he managed a small smile.

Cas seemed to contemplate his answer before slowly nodding in understanding.

"How about we go see how Dean's doing?" Sam asked. He waited for Cas to nod before slowly starting to make his way out of the bathroom. The feeling of Cas's soft hand against his own callused one surprised him. He looked down at Castiel's questionably hopeful eyes. Sam didn't even hesitate before taking Cas's hand and lightly squeezing it.

* * *

Dean wondered what was taking Sam and Cas so long. They'd been in the bathroom for over 5 minutes and besides the small yelp he had heard before everything was silent. Not even a second after he thought of checking if everything was okay, did his Sasquatch of a brother appear in the doorway. He raised an eyebrow at their linked hands that Sam completely ignored.

Kneeling down towards Cas's height Dean asked. "Hey Cas, how's about we blow this joint."

* * *

**Tell me what you all think and feel free to give me any ideas you have. Thank you.**


	2. Chapter 2

** Thank you for your reviews I hope you like the direction I am taking this fic in. This is going to be Shorter than the first chapter (sorry) but my first draft was lost after I was almost done and the power went out.**

Childish

Getting out of the hospital was more of a hassle than it should have been. Cas almost threw a god honest fit when he found out he was going to have ride in a wheelchair. It took Dean and Sam five minutes to talk him into sitting and another two to stop scowling because children his age should not have mastered that look. Cas almost set Dean on fire with the look he sent his way for that comment.

* * *

Cas seemed much calmer when he was safely tucked in the back of the impala. Showing Cas how to wear a seatbelt was completely comical because Sam was struggling to buckle him in while Cas insisted he did not need the aid of some foreign contraption.

Dean's headache seemed to have been tied to the hospital because it had completely disappeared the second he was back inside his baby and on the road. Dean allowed himself to get lost in his thoughts as he drove towards Bobby's house. Abruptly jerking the wheel, and almost sending them skidding of the road Dean tried to control the wheel over Sam's alarmed shouts.

"What the hell man!' Sam exclaimed once Dean gained control of the impala.

Dean looked as if someone had slapped him in the face. "I took Cas to a whorehouse." Dean murmured distantly to himself.

It was Sam's turn to look as if he had just gotten slapped. Struggling to form words Sam finally managed to choke out. "What!"

"I believe he is recounting the time he took me to a den of iniquity." Cas offered helpfully from the back seat as Dean muttered something about going to hell, again.

"Look man, I had no idea he wasn't… you know, old enough to be there." Dean floundered as he tried to explain himself. "We thought it was going to be his last day alive so I asked him what he wanted to do and one thing led to another and he ended up telling me he was a virgin. What was I supposed to do; I couldn't just let him die a virgin." Dean said sounding more like he was trying to convince himself than explain to Sam what had happened.

"So let me get this straight. You took and angel, not just any angel, but an underage angel, to a whorehouse." Sam recounted as he desperately tried to contain his frustration at his brother's idiocy." You let a child lose his virginity to some random woman you paid for." Sam ranted as he gave his brother his infamous bitchface.

"Whoa man, calm down, Cas didn't get to pop his cherry because he brought up the girls daddy issues." Dean immediately said, trying to calm down his brother. "At least now I know why he looked so scared." He muttered to himself.

Sam felt an embarrassing amount of relief knowing that Castiel had retained his innocence. He was not about to be smote by god because of Dean's stupidity. "Oh thank god." Sam said as he let out a breath of air he didn't even know he had been holding in.

"I am right here." Cas said monotonously, making both Sam and Dean jump.

"Yeah Cas we know you're right here." Sam said turning around to stare at Castiel's impassive face. "We just don't want you doing any of those things for a very, very, very, long time." Sam said emphasizing the importance of the matter.

Cas cocked his head to the side in thought. "Why is this a matter of import? Dean seems to frequent the neighborhood."

Dean almost lost control of the wheel again after hearing Cas's truthfully blunt statement. "Listen Cas, you're a little young to be talking about that, so why don't we just forget about ever visiting that place." Dean said with forced cheeriness.

Sam was sure he heard the angel grumbling about being older than humanity itself as they pulled up to Bobby's house. They had been gone for so long that the sky was just beginning to lighten in a beautiful array of pink and orange. Six in the morning and Sam and Dean still hadn't gotten any sleep. They might not need the same amount of sleep as the average person, but they still needed their four hours of snooze time.

Sam and Dean climbed out of the impala with the intention of collapsing onto their beds and not waking up till noon. Cas seemed to have a different idea as he seemed to come alive as the birds started chirping. Dean helped Cas out of the of the impala as Sam grabbed all of the Cas's new things.

Digging through one of the bags, Sam produced the fluffy stuffed cat and held it out to Cas. Dean raised his eyebrows at his brother." Dude you are not about to make Cas into a pansy by giving him something like that." Dean protested.

Cas's hand seemed to retract from where he had hesitantly reached for the cat. His arms came down to his sides as he stood ramrod straight. He looked like the perfect soldier he was raised to be.

Sam sent a glare in his brother's direction as he stepped closer towards Cas. "You know Dean isn't always right. You can take it if you want." Sam said once again offering the cat to Cas.

Cas's jaw tightened as he forced himself to remain still. "No, it is fine Sam; I have no need of it." He said as he looked Sam straight in the eyes.

"Okay, just…you can have it if you want it later." Sam said disappointedly. Sam scowled at his brother's apologetic face before steering Cas towards Bobby's front door.

Sam knocked on the door hoping Bobby wouldn't be too mad at them.

* * *

Bobby grumbled as he got out of his comfy armchair, where he had been studying some sigils that could be useful for the apocalypse. "It better not be those two idjits again."

He headed towards the door with a glass of holy water and his favorite shotgun. Demon or not someone was getting hurt for interrupting his work again.

* * *

He was expecting Sam's puppy dog eyes and Dean's gaze of disposition. What he was not expecting was the piercing gaze of a twelve year old kid. The only reason nobody had gotten shot yet was because of the perplexity of the situation." Okay so which one of you two idjits, fault is it this time?" he grumbled.

"Neither Dean or Sam are to blame for my current predicament."

He turned his gaze towards the kid's unwavering blue eyes. A burst of recognition hit him full force."Castiel?' he questioned, looking at the kids bed head. "What the hell happened to you?"

Castiel averted his eyes and stared at anything but at him. He was saved from answering, by Dean.

"Look Bobby, it's been a rough couple of hours." Dean said the silent we'll tell you later unmistakably there.

"Fine." Bobby growled as he let the boys pass by with their bags. First the apocalypse and now a miniature angel what's next, Lucifer tap-dancing in a tutu? Bobby groaned as he rubbed his eyes, he really needed a drink right about now.

* * *

Settling into Bobby's guest room was awkward this time as Cas stared unwaveringly at them from his position on the worn-out armchair. Dean decided to unpack the stuff Sam had bought to avoid Cas's gaze. The first bag contained a couple of jeans and t-shirts along with some socks and a hoodie. The second bag was more intriguing as he pulled out a couple of board games and puzzles, cards, some art stuff and that goddamn cat. Dean smirked mischievously at his brother as he picked up a puzzle of a fuzzy black puppy.

Sam steadily ignored his brother's smirk, grumbling about Cas needing some things his own age. "So how are we going to do this?" Sam asked hoping to diminish any further embarrassment.

"Well there's two beds and Cas isn't that big so I think he should bunk with one of us cause I sure as hell am not bunking with you sasquatch." Dean said good naturedly.

Rolling his eyes at his brother reply, Sam worked on getting his feet free from his boots. "Hey Cas, who do you want to bunk with tonight?" Tilting his head up to the silence that followed his question, he found Cas's slumped form snoring away peacefully on the armchair.

"I got him tonight Sammy; don't want you rolling over on him in the middle of the night." Dean said quietly, leaving no room for argument as he approached Cas's sleeping form.

Dean marveled at how little Cas seemed to weigh as he scooped him up, with Cas's head lying on his shoulder. He gently laid him down on the mattress, making sure the blankets were covering him securely, before going back to retrieve Cas's flip-flops (that had fallen off when Dean had carried him to the bed). "Get some sleep Sam; we gotta explain all this to Bobby in the morning anyway, might as well be well rested." Dean said as he crawled in next to Cas, being careful to leave a good space between them so Dean wouldn't accidently jostle any of Cas's injuries during the night.

Sam gave Dean a slight nod before getting up to turn off the lights.

* * *

Dean woke up to someone hitting him on his back, painfully. Arching away from the powerful hits towards his spine, Deans ears picked up quiet whimpers. Dean turned his gaze towards Cas's distressed form.

Tears ran down from closed eyes as Cas sobbed in-between words. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Please stop." He whimpered as he tried to get away from invisible attackers. "I'll do better next time, I'm sorry." He pleaded, his words filled with anguish as he continued to thrash around on the bed, almost succeeding in falling off.

Dean felt his heart break as he watched as Cas struggled against his nightmares. He gently rubbed comforting circles into Cas's back, undeterred by the way Cas seemed to stiffen at his touch before resuming his futile fight against nothing . "Cas it's not real. You're safe here. You're with me and I'm not going to let anything happen to." Dean murmured as he maneuvered himself into position in which Cas was no longer in danger of falling off the bed. Dean repeated his comforting words as Cas continued to whimper in his sleep. "You're okay Cas. Nothing's going to happen to you, at least not while I'm here."

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again, please Zachariah." Castiel sobbed, desperately trying to get away from Dean.

Dean forced himself to not react at the mention of Zachariah's name, fearing that he would start yelling and throwing things. He didn't think he'd be of much use to Cas in a rage, so he suppressed his inner feeling for later. "Zachariah can't hurt you here Cas. If he even tries to get close, Sam and I will torch his ass back to where he came from." Dean chocked as his attempt at humor fell flat. "He can't hurt you here Cas, he's not here." Tears stung at his eyes as he wrapped one arm around Cas's torso in a small hug.

Dean sat there with Cas in his arms for practically the longest few minutes in his life before Cas finally stilled. Dean looked down to see Cas's bright blue eyes peeking up at him through tear soaked lashes. Cas's body seemed to go rigid as he took stock of the position he and Dean were in, with Dean hugging him and Cas grasping weakly at his shirt.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience." Cas said hoarsely from crying, trying to untangle himself from Dean's arms.

"It's okay Cas, it's not your fault." Dean found himself saying as he refused to let Cas get away from him while he was in such a vulnerable state. He felt Cas tense in his arms once again before he allowed himself to relax. Tentative hands awkwardly wrapped  
around Dean as Cas laid his head on his shoulder, silent tears still streaming down his face. Dean paid no mind to the feeling of wetness on his shoulder as one of his hands came to rest on the back of Cas's head where he stroked his hair comfortingly.

"Let's go back to sleep Cas."Dean suggested quietly.

Castiel looked up at him hesitantly through fearful eyes, with a look that begged for him to reconsider his suggestion.

"I'm going to be right here if you start having nightmares again." Dean murmured comfortingly. Cas stared up at him with trust in his eyes before weakly nodding. Dean helped Cas back onto his side of the bed, gently bringing the covers to rest right below his chin. Dean stole a glance at his brothers sleeping form, thanking god that his brother slept like the dead, before climbing into bed next to Castiel.

Dean didn't permit his eyes to close before he heard Cas's breathing evening out. Making sure that Cas was sleeping peacefully, Dean finally allowed himself to succumb to sleep.

* * *

**Doing the nightmare scene really broke my heart.** FandomLover148** I would just like to say that you must have been reading my mind because I already had a nightmare scene planned out. I don't know whether I'm going to have the guys take him to a playground (sorry) but feel free to keep bouncing ideas and I'll see what I can do. Thank you once again for reviewing and I do accept idea's from those of you that would like the story's course to take a certain route. Next chapter is going to have a lot more Bobby and Cas moment's just to give you a heads up.**


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